Garth Tander has claimed pole position for the final V8 Supercars Championship race of 2012 at Sydney Olympic Park, edging out Will Davison in a session that was interrupted by several red flags.

The Holden Racing Team driver took top spot by 0.12 seconds with less than fifteen seconds of the twenty-minute qualifying session remaining, leaving Davison unable to retake the position when he made a mistake on his final flying lap.

In what was a great day for the Holden Racing Team, Tander’s team-mate James Courtney qualified third-fastest, backing up his podium-winning result in yesterday’s opening race.

The 2009 champion starts alongside Jonathon Webb on Row 2, with Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom set to resume their battle for runners-up position in the championship today from the third row of the grid.

The top ten was completed by James Moffat, Tim Slade, Fabian Coulthard and Steve Owen.

The session saw no less than three red flag interruptions, with Russell Ingall (electrical) and Karl Reindler (engine failure) both forced to stop their cars during the session.

Champion elect Jamie Whincup had his worst qualifying result of the season after he triggered the session’s third red flag after a spin at Turn 7, which saw him dislodge the tyre barriers positioned on the corner’s apex.

Under the championship rules, Whincup was forbidden to take any further part in the session and was stripped of his fastest lap time of the session – a result that relegated him to a disastrous 24th on the grid.

GRM Holden import Alexandre Premat sat out the session as he continues to recover from the severe dehydration he suffered in yesterday’s gruelling race. The team and officials will decide whether he will be able to compete at all in the coming hours.